Zitkala-Sa (1876-1938) was a Sioux woman, born Gertrude Simmons on the Yankton Reservation of South Dakota. At the age of 8, she left her home for a harsh boarding school in Indiana. Alternating between her reservation and the Quaker school, she later attended college and became a teacher. Disillusioned by American society and her own tribe, Zitkala-Sa wrote about her experiences in a variety of books and magazines. She was an advocate for Native American rights throughout her life, becoming a key figure in the legislation that granted Native Americans citizenship in 1924.